Braille: Finger Reading
By Madonna Dries Christensen
Most of us probably don’t recall learning to read, unless we had difficulty. If you watch a child who is learning to read, he often uses his finger as a guide, word by word. He will eventually drop using that tool. For children with visual impairment, the fingers are essential. Katy Brzakala teaches Braille in Central Wisconsin. I asked her to tell us about the process.
MDC: What led you to teaching Braille?
KB: When I was in high school, I did a lot of babysitting. One of the families had a new baby during the time I was caring for their children. He was born blind. I'd always known that I wanted to teach, but upon meeting this little boy it became clear that I wanted to teach children with visual impairments.
MDC: Please briefly describe Braille.
KB: Braille consists of 6-dot cells. Each cell stands for a letter, group of letters, or mark of composition or punctuation. The configuration and location of the dots tells readers which symbol they are reading. Braille readers lightly brush their eight fingertips across the cells to read. Writing Braille has several options. One can hand punch the dots using a small, pointed stylus. This is the least cumbersome method. The most common choice is a Perkins Brailler, a 9-key Braille typewriter. The third common method is an embosser, a Braille printer that can attach to a computer or mobile Braillewriter.
MDC: What’s the biggest challenge in your teaching?
KB: We live in a world driven by the visual. If you think about street signs, restroom signs, diagrams, graphs, pictures, drawings, and even the simplicity of color, you’ll see that we rely on sight for just about everything. The biggest challenge is teaching my students how to adapt to a visual world. Imagine grocery shopping with a blindfold on. How would you know the 2% from the skim milk? Would you be able to comfortably cross a busy street with your eyes closed? These children must learn skills to gain confidence and remain safe and independent.
MDC: Given today’s technology, are there other teaching aids?
KB: There are more options available every day. One of my favorites is Screen Reading software, such as JAWS. It reads aloud anything on a computer screen. This gives students access to the Internet and other programs. Another favorite is the mobile Braillewriter mentioned earlier. A great model is BrailleNote. It’s designed like a small Braille typewriter with the same nine keys. Unlike a typewriter, it has no paper. Instead, you plug it into a printer (for a typed print copy) or an embosser (to create a Braille copy). This is nice in schools, as most classroom teachers do not read Braille. It allows students to write in Braille and the teacher to read in print!
MDC: Early intervention is beneficial to children with developmental difficulties. At what age are they introduced to Braille?
KB: We start teaching Braille at the same time that print begins to be taught. We introduce students to their name in Braille at the preschool age and begin the rest of the alphabet after that. The hope is always that Braille reading students are on track with their sighted peers.
MDC: Some parents of children with learning disabilities feel that mainstreaming into regular classrooms is important. Do your students attend regular classes, and do you advocate mainstreaming?
KB: I believe there is a right placement for every child. Most of my students are completely or partially mainstreamed. I think it’s important to include students with visual impairments in the general curriculum as much as they can handle. There are other placements that may be more appropriate for some students, such as resource rooms, special education programs, and schools for the blind. It’s up to the IEP team (teachers, parents, other school personnel, and the student where appropriate) to decide what is right for the child.
MDC: To help us understand how many children are affected by visual impairment, how many students do you have, and in what size area?
KB: I teach in four school districts and have about 20 students. I work with students with all severities of impairment and all grade levels.
MDC: Are Braille children’s books readily available for purchase?
KB: Unfortunately, a Braille reader can’t walk into a local Barnes and Noble and purchase books in Braille. There are, however, a plethora of resources available to provide Braille books. There are volunteer organizations and publishing houses throughout the United States that produce these books. The Library of Congress and other local public libraries carry books in Braille that are available for loan. The books are shipped as Free Matter for the Blind so that no cost is incurred by the library patron receiving and returning books.
MDC: Thanks, Katy. You’re a blessing to your students.
(This article originally appeared in Extra Innings.)